Pokémon: A New Bond
by Red Paine
Summary: "What do I have to leave behind?" Oh, how badly I wish I could have said "You have me!" But all he would hear is a bark and a whine. An unlikely friendship saves the world of Pokémon with a bond that hadn't been formed in over a decade. Rated T for language, blood, gore, violence, and some suggestive themes
1. Prologue

_Today is my tenth birthday—today I become one year older! I hope Mom and Dad will give me good presents!_

_ "Good morning, Birthday Boy!" my mother greets me warmly, "What would you like for your special birthday-breakfast?"_

_ "Chocolate-chip pancakes!" I say delightedly. Mom has them ready in five seconds flat. I drown them in syrup and gobble it all down, getting my face all messy. That's when Mom laughs and comes to wipe my face with a napkin. I laugh with her; my face is all sticky and I love it!_

_ "Go upstairs and get dressed, Kenny. Dad's waiting outside for you." Mom smiles as I race up the stairs and dress myself. My pants are half-on when I bounce out the door to my back yard. As promised, Dad is standing there by the swing-set. I run as fast as I can into his arms. He laughs, picking me up and swinging me around, congratulating me for being a big boy. After a while he puts me down, and he drops his voice. I can tell he's being serious, so I listen._

_ "Kenpachi," he says while looking straight into my eyes, "You're ten years old now. You're a big boy now. You know Ms. Takanawa's Persian, Thomas?"_

_ "Yeah! I play with him all the time!" I grin at fond memories of trying to catch Tom's tail._

_ "Well… now that you're old enough… I'm giving you your very own."_

_ I gasp, "Dad?"_

_ He turns around and grabs a glass jar. Inside is an egg, big enough to be close to hatching._

_ "No way!" I gratefully take the incubator from him, "For real?"_

_ "Yes, Kenpachi—in about a week it will hatch, and you can have your very own Pokémon!"_

_ I thank him a thousand times, squeezing him with all my might. Then I take my egg and return to my room. Finally, I can be a Pokémon Trainer!_

_…_

_ The egg flashed. Dad told me to bring it to the kitchen table, so I placed it right in the center. I watched as Dad removed the glass cover. The egg flashed over and over, until a bright whiteness overtook the room. I covered my eyes until the light dyed down. Before me, on a table, was a Pokémon I'd never seen before. It was white, with a green head and a pair of red horns sticking out of its head like fins._

_ "What's that?" I asked in wonder. The Pokémon kept its eyes on me, fascinated._

_ "This is Ralts, Kenny. She's your new best friend; you're first Pokémon!" _

_ "'She'?"_

_ "Sorry it's a girl, son but—"_

_ "I love her!" I climbed onto the table and sat before Ralts. I held out my hand, "Hi, Ralts! I'm Kenny! Do you want to be my friend?"_

_ Ralts smiled, her eyes shut tight in happiness. She reached forward and hugged me. I hugged her back, but I could feel her squeezing me harder._

_ "I think she likes me!" I laughed. Ralts giggled, hugging me one last time before hopping off the table and looking around the kitchen. She came back to me, took my hand, and pulled me around. I went along with the game and gave her a tour of the house, which she liked as much as I did. _

_We had so much fun that day. Right before I tucked her into bed, I told her, "Happy Birthday, Ralts." She smiled at me again. As I got into my own bed, I saw her get out of her bed and join me in mine._

_ "No, Ralts. You have to go in your own bed." I pointed to the smaller bed I'd set up for her on the other end of my room. Ralts snuggled closer, clearly unwilling to get up, "Well, alright… I guess one night wouldn't hurt…" _

She slept in my bed every night since.

_…_

_ "Ralts, use Confusion!" _

_ Ralts clapped her hands together and pulsed her mind towards the enemy Shinx. I smirked when my opponent's Pokémon's eyes became swirls; the poor thing was confused! It began punching itself, which I found kinda funny. _

_ "Shinx, snap out of it!" Sayuri cried. She waved her arms, trying to get Shinx's attention. I took the chance to attack once more:_

_ "Use Magical Leaf!" Ralts brought her hands together, and dark leaves appeared from the air around her. They glowed with a colorful aura as they were sent flying toward Shinx, slicing through his body. He wailed, and then fell unconscious. A bunch of little cuts from the leaves striped his sides and dotted his chest. I felt bad about hurting Sayuri's Shinx, again, but Dad told me, this was the way Poké-battles went. Someone had to lose._

Ralts came up to me, glowing like she always did after she won. My Pokémon was always proud of herself when she defeated a rival fighter. She always came to me for praise, and truth be told I WAS impressed by how strong she became, but…

I felt it was wrong to hurt Pokémon, even if it's like this. They're people just like us, right? Why are we pitting them together like beasts to rip each other apart to a bloody death? What if I had accidentally killed Shinx? Sayuri would've never forgiven me!

That's why I never really praised my Pokémon. I did feel they deserved some reward, but they would find none from me. Sometimes I actually felt angry at my Pokémon for what they did to my opponents… sometimes I felt like I went too far… They're always left in a bloody mess…

Why I did it then, you ask. Why would you fight if you knew it was wrong? Well, why do men go to war? Tell me that, and then maybe I'll think about answering honestly. Truthfully, I didn't think enough to find a reason. I just went with it, and it all went downhill from there… though, whose fault is it? I feel I should take the blame, but for all I know, I could be wrong, and it could be all her fault.

My name is Kenpachi. And I must be the reason for raising this hell.


	2. Chapter 1

"Hikaru, time to get up!"

I could hear my mom calling to me from the kitchen. Ugh, "Five more minutes!" I yell back. Five more goddamn minutes…

Of course, that's not what she wants to hear, so eight seconds later a ray of light shines on my closed eyes. She's standing in the doorway, waiting for me to get the hint and get up. If I don't, she usually hits me with whatever it is she's making breakfast with, and that's when she's in a good mood.

"What is it this time…?" I groan to myself, though loud enough for her to hear, "The spatula or the frying pan?"

"You WISH it was the frying pan!" she giggled. My mom is the sweetest and nicest person I know, but JESUS she's got a temper.

I opened a single eye to see she was holding a shotgun. That startled me enough to sit up and back against the wall, "Mom, are you INSANE?!"

"Eh, just a little bit."

"IF I HAD KIDS, I WOULDN'T SHOOT THEM!"

"What a foolish way of raising a child…" Mom murmured to herself, though it was meant to be funny I could tell she was actually serious. In these times, being handy with any type of weapon would help, even if you were a child.

Mom shook herself off, "Anyway, coffee's ready. Come downstairs in ten minutes or you don't get any."

I was about to retort but she got up and left, flicking the lights on as she exited my room. So let's she, she's pissed me off four times already in the fifteen seconds I've been up:

Wakes me up early, on a Sunday;

Uses "brutal" force to wake me up some more (though I knew that gun wasn't for me);

Turns on the lights, which I make a point to keep off so I can sleep in peace;

Threatens to confiscate my beloved coffee.

Yep, today's gonna be one of those days…

As I only slept in boxers, I pulled on a pair of jeans that I found lying on the floor. It's not like that wardrobe in the corner had a purpose or anything. The mirror I had on my wall across from my bed caught my eye. I walked up to it and looked at myself. Vanity I found to be selfish, so I didn't really care for my appearance that much. However, I always take a glance before I leave.

My hair is messy, but indigo, long enough to cover my ears but extra-long over my right eye, keeping it out of sight. The one eye that is visible is a light orchid color. People always blamed me for wearing contacts to change the color, but that's the shade I was born with. I'm also accused of wearing makeup, but I really am this pale. I don't go outside much. When I do, it's to go to school. Hence, I'm as white as a Swablu's cotton-fluff-or-whatever-that-shit-is. That leads down to a scrawny but firm figure. Granted I don't work out, but helping Mom around the house and private training with the forces has given me a sturdy frame and a hard stomach. I am a lot stronger than I look.

It comes to my head that I actually am beautiful, as described by the whispers of my classmates. My skin is flawless, save for a scar on the nape of my neck. Mom told me I got it in the attack, the one where we lost Dad to a Luxray, when I was just a baby. I don't remember any of it. Maybe that's a good thing… Wait, if I'm so beautiful, why don't they talk to me? Am I strange enough to scare them away? God, being a junior sucks. Everything's a constant struggle. If it's not bitchy classmates, it's too much homework, if it's not too much homework, it's bitchy teachers. Why do I have to go to school in the first place…? The way everything is now, you don't need book-smarts. Just know how to handle a gun and you'll be fine.

"Hikaru!"

"Coming!"

I grabbed a black t-shirt that had the army's logo on the left sleeve: a knife through a Poké-ball. My brush decided not to exist today, so I used my fingers to get rid of bed-head and raced downstairs for coffee.

"Oh, you training today?" Mom asked as I poured myself a cup of freshly brewed heaven.

I picked up the sugar canister, "Yup. I'm up this early, might as well."

"True."

My hand unscrewed the cap to the jar of sweet powder. I peered inside to see it was full. This wouldn't be enough, "Why did you wake me up so early anyway?"

A shrug, "I was bored."

I dumped the whole container into my cup.

"And I also wanted you to see the national broadcast."

"Broadcast?" Feh, probably just some more bullshit about new technology the government created to "better protect the people". Do they really think we believe that? There's no way to completely wipe out every single Pokémon. There's always more to keep at bay, more to kill. It didn't really matter anyway—as long as we have those barriers surrounding the towns, Pokémon can't get in, and we're safe. But… that means we can't get out. Everyone's been trapped in here forever, long before I was even born. Sixteen years of my life, and I've never been outside this damn town.

No one even knows which town it is anymore. Every place that's any place safe from those bastards lost their names. It's just another safe-house—old features that used to make each town unique were either destroyed or insignificant. Mom told me about how when she was a kid, when this all started, how there were attractions to each destination. Like plazas full of exotic merchandise, fountains that flowed sparkling water, caves with thousands of crevices to explore. I secretly laughed at her stories. Our plaza only has the crops we've grown here, our fountain has never run, and the only cave around is one outside the barrier. This is the reality, how it was and how it will always be. Even if someone were to kill every Pokémon, I could almost guarantee that nothing would change.

As I added milk to my already overflowing cup, the TV clicked on behind me in the living room. I ignored it; all I heard was "new devise" and then I lost interest. Couldn't those quacks quit trying so hard to find something that doesn't exist?

I can tell Mom doesn't care either. She only pretends to be engrossed in the broadcasts in the hopes that it'll give me some faith. Well, it won't work. This is war. I'm immune to the lies people tell me to try and calm me down, when I know the truth and its cruelty.

My spoon clinks in the mug. It's one color when I take the cup and chug the whole thing in one gulp. People think I'm crazy just for this, but I like my coffee hot, and it's really not that warm when I add so much milk to it. With that I toss it in the sink, and walk to the front door. I say goodbye over my shoulder, slip on Dad's black leather jacket, and leave for training. Mom calls from behind me, "I love you!"

The walk is dull, like always. There's no life in my town. Despite its bright cheery look, with blue skies, green grass, flowers, and chipper chatty people, this place is dead to me. The only person I care about is my mother; everyone else is just an object I could easily throw away, if need be. It's wrong to just kill out of pure will or pleasure—I'd never go out of my way to murder anyone. On the other hand, if someone asked me to do it to someone I didn't know, I'd probably do it. And that's only if I wanted to listen to this person and follow their orders. I think my mother sensed my lack of care for other people a long time ago; she keeps the weapons locked away. She's a fool for thinking I don't know where the key is.

The training camp comes into view. I walk past the front entrance and go around back. There's a secret door that leads to the storage room in the army's base, where I train with a general who's aware of my situation. Apparently, Mom is all I have left, and I'm all she has too. Our family got totally annihilated in the assault of that Luxray pride. Mom knew about my wanting to learn to fight, and actually encouraged it. It was her idea in the first place… I think.

He's not there when I arrive. I find a note that says to receive instructions from his contact, Tori. I follow his instructions, going to her office. She sits there behind her desk, filing uncountable amounts of papers for who-knows-what. I ask her about the note, and she tells me to go to the control room. She sounds a bit… I don't know, off? Her voice wasn't the normal Tori I was used to, talking about my appointments. I asked her about it and she just told me to hurry. I obeyed and ran off to the blue door in the far corner of the building.

"Do not enter" was painted in red letters on the wood, though I disregarded it and turned the handle anyway. I had permission to be here, right? Inside was a large computer with a shit-ton of buttons on a huge keyboard before it, all connected to the wall. There was one red button that stuck out from the others, glowing with a timed pulse. I found another note on the panel that read, "Push the big red one." That made me suspicious. In every movie I've ever watched, some idiot always pressed the red button and then some big horrible thing happened. I'd yell at the morons in the television for being so stupid, even though I knew they couldn't hear me. Though, at the end of the movie, which was usually happy, I think in retrospect, 'the whole story couldn't have taken place if that one numb-nut didn't push the red button.'

"Heh, here I go…" I tear off the note and crumple it into a ball, throwing it over my shoulder, "The big idiot… pushing the big red button…"

What will happen after this? Will I go on some badass journey? Will I kick ass and get the girl in the end? … Will tons of naked chicks just burst out of the wall and start tearing my clothes off…?

…

Okay, probably not the latter… I quit daydreaming and slammed the button with my palm. Instantly, making me jump, the lights in every room turned blood red, giving everything else a purgatory look. An alarm blared at top volume; I could hear men shouting orders and women screaming to take cover. Whatever I just did, it was not good.

"Hikaru…"

I whirled to see Tori standing in the doorway. With a smirk, she grabbed a fold of skin on her neck and pulled up. Utter shock paralyzed me to see that she was wearing a mask, and this woman wasn't Tori at all. Her face was harder, darker, yet with gentle eyes. I was about to speak, but she raised a hand to stop me, and any words I had come up with vanished in my head.

"Well done, Hikaru… You have served us well… They shall be free… soon…" her voice wandered off, like a light breeze that you're not sure you even felt.

"Who'll be free? Who's 'us'?"

She gave me a haunting smile, but didn't answer my question. Instead she raised a hand gun, aiming it at my chest, "I would apologize… but I'm really not sorry… Neither are any of us… What we are doing is right… This… This IS right…"

I barely heard her. My panicked attention had me frozen and focused on the weapon in her hand.

"No loose ends… I hope Arceus judges you accordingly…"

_Arceus?_

With that, she pulled back the trigger, and fired. The bullet sliced through my abdomen, coming clean through my back and landing on the floor behind me. Blood exploded from my body, causing me to scream, though the only sound I could produce was a strangled gasp. I could actually FEEL the blood flowing out of me, trickling down my legs and pooling at my feet. I could feel my life being sucked away from me. All my strength gave way; my knees buckled. I sat there, on my knees, before my foe, not able to move or speak or even see her reaction. Fading footsteps reached my ears. She must've left. I felt alone enough.

My vision was becoming blurry. The red made everything blend together into one crimson atmosphere. It was like all I could see was blood. I weakly placed a hand on my wound, but my hands were too numb to feel its stickiness, and my stomach I doubted had the nerves to even sense that I had touched it. My body gave up on me—I feel over, onto my side, the floor jarring me.

_I'm dying… How could I die…? I can't die! What about my future? What about my… my…_

_ Mom…_

_ What about Mom? I'm all she has! If I die… she'll be all alone…_

_ Mom! She's in trouble! She has to be!_ Why would I be so alarmed otherwise?

I pushed myself to my knees. My arms shook as I finished, finally on my feet. Clutching an arm to my belly, I began to run home. It hurt like a bitch, but Mom needed me! No amount of pain could tear me away from her! As I got outside, the town had turned into hell. I went completely stiff at the scene I found playing right in front of me, like a 3D movie. It's happening right there in front of you; it's so close and realistic-looking that you feel like you could just reach out and touch it. But in the back of your mind, you know it's fake, just images projected by a computer. So, you're not scared.

Not here. Not now.

This was real, and that's what scared me the most.

Dark clouds had rolled over, making everything darker and much more ominous. Everywhere, people were yelling at orders, trying to get everyone that couldn't fight into a house; those who were fighting were shooting at Pokémon. It was a hoard of one species, a pack most likely, of one of the most ferocious Pokémon known to me. It was Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon—a dark wolf, a malicious monster, one of the predators. I maneuvered around the fights to reach my house. On the way, I found a dead soldier on the ground. His gun had six bullets left; I grabbed it for protection.

"Mom!" I tried calling, but my injury prevented any real sound, "M-Mom…! Where are…"

The door to my house was already open. My heart pounded harder as I rushed in…

And stopped.

There, in my kitchen, was a Mightyena, bigger than the rest—the alpha.

In his mouth hung a limp figure. Mangled and covered in blood, I could still recognize it anywhere.

Mom.

Rage overtook the best of me. I raised my gun and fired at the damn thing, but all I did was clip its shoulder. A gash wasn't enough to stop the beast. He tossed away my mother like she was a ragdoll, and began stalking near me, growling. My eyes widened as I saw him crouch down. He was going to pounce. Instincts gained control and pushed me to race out the door, ignoring the throbbing agony in my stomach and running as fast as I could.

My feet took me outside, far beyond anywhere I'd ever been. Trees rushed at me as I ran off the beaten path and hid behind a stone wall. I breathed heavily, wincing when I sat down to rest. Some part of me knew it wasn't over and kept me alert. He was still here. I could tell by the thick air. It occurred to me that if he did find me, I'd be trapped against this wall with nowhere to go. The Alpha Mightyena would kill me, bring me to its pack, and feast on me like I was just like every other prey. I knew what would happen. But… did I really care if it happened or not? I almost wanted it to. Let him kill me. Let him free me from this hell—what do I have to leave behind? I'll join Mom in heaven, and we won't have to live like animals in cages anymore, in constant fear of Pokémon. No. We'll be free. Together.

Although…

I wouldn't mind kicking that thing's ass before I go.


	3. Chapter 2

I could hear the snarls drawing closer. My hands tightened around the gun in my hand, prepared to fire the second it came around the corner. It felt as if my entire body was tensed up for this. Even my heart was threatening to break from my chest.

And suddenly there it was, just its enormous head, peaking around the stone wall to lock its red bloodthirsty eyes on me. I was not afraid, and he could sense that. The Alpha Mightyena knew this wouldn't be a simple hunt—I'm a prey that fights back. As it tried to stare me down, I examined its face. Snout scrunched up, exposing a set of white fangs stained by blood… my mother's blood. All the tension in me released itself with the bullet I fired at the Mightyena. He dodged and ran a few meters away from the rock wall, right in front of me. All I did was put a hole in his ear. My spirits sank.

His maw opened to let out a fearsome growl. I fired again, this time only trimming the fur on the side of his neck. Damn it, Hikaru, don't panic! Focus! Before the beast could attack I quickly aimed the gun and shot at its mouth. Alpha Mightyena caught the bullet in its mouth. I gasped as he spit it out, and I swear he smirked at me. He rushed at me—I fired at his left front paw. My heart skipped a beat when he jumped and avoided the attack. A shaky hand was all I had to shoot at his heart. Mightyena pounced over the bullet, straight at me. I tried to fire again to hit him in mid-leap, but my gun made a clicking noise. I was out of ammo.

I slumped against the rock wall. This is it. My death, my slow, painful, bloody death, will be here any second now. Soon, Mom and I will be together again. I'm not afraid to die. In fact, why should I close my eyes and wait? I stare the Mightyena in the eye as it descends upon me.

Suddenly, a dark shape comes and attacks the Alpha Mightyena in midair. It grabbed his throat in its teeth, blood spraying out from its mouth. It landed with the Alpha still in its grasp; it bit down hard; I could hear his neck snap. It tossed him away, like he had my mother. But the thing was still alive, and rapidly got to his feet, retaliating with a harsh bark. They stood there, growling and snapping at each other, their ears flat against their heads and tails high in the air in a defensive gesture.

I realized the dark shape was another Mightyena, smaller than the Alpha by two sizes. He didn't seem to be part of the Alpha's pack. Neither showed any recognition of each other...

Then, it was dead quiet. They stopped, and then it was like you had just kept your eyes closed, and you didn't see them move to attack.

The Alpha slashed at the smaller Pokémon, forcing his head up in a dodge. That's what he wanted; it left his neck open. Alpha went for the jugular, swinging the Mightyena around until he broke skin and slammed it into the ground. To my surprise, it didn't cry out. It was like he didn't want to give his enemy the satisfaction of hearing him cry. He was awesome.

Mightyena sunk his teeth into the Alpha's leg enough to snap his wrist in half, tearing off the paw and throwing it with a toss of the head. He kept eye contact with his foe when he licked his lips, savoring the sweet taste of his blood. The Alpha howled in pain. Without realizing it, he released Mightyena. I watched in awe as he had the Alpha Mightyena's throat between his teeth again. This time, he made no mistake and yanked as hard as he could. Blood was everywhere, tendons audibly ripped, bones popping out of place, when the Mightyena ripped the Alpha's head off his body. A loud thud echoed in my ears as the body fell to the scarlet-turned grass. Mightyena turned his head toward me when I let out a loud breathe. That was… incredible…

He chucked the head over his shoulder, kicked dirt on the body, and then made his way over to me. Mightyena kept his distance, but was curious enough to take baby-steps closer. I froze solid. What was it going to do to me? I saw he was shaking when he got close enough, about a foot away. Then, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed forward, right into my lap.

I stared at the head on my legs. It was about the size of mine—he was small for a Mightyena. He didn't stir, but I saw his shoulders moving to show he was breathing. What should I do?

… Kill it.

I should kill it.

He's a Pokémon, not a person. It'll kill me if I don't kill it first, while I have the chance. I dropped my useless gun and wrapped my hands around its throat to choke it. But… something stopped me…

Mightyena's fur was so soft… it was like rough silk between my fingers. I let go of him, and then I tried something I never thought I'd do. I placed my hand on his head, and began running it back down his spine. It felt so natural, petting him like this. But I'd never done it before.

The way he breathed beneath my hand, the way his ears twitched, that serene look on his face, in spite of the blood staining his mouth… Mightyena didn't deserve this. He was innocent. He didn't kill anyone. At least, not anyone I cared about. Mightyena… he saved my life, didn't he? And yet, he's probably watched humans kill his kin…

"Why did you save me?" I asked him, rubbing back his ears. His black lips curled up into a smile. Before I could catch myself, I found I was smiling too. This Pokémon just… I don't know how to explain it… Just being around him seemed to make me happy—I felt like I could trust him with my life.

… Why…?

My whole life, I've hated Pokémon. I was raised that way. They were the monsters that tried to hurt Mom, and I had to protect her. It was that simple. I never put much thought into whether or not Pokémon had free will, and that they could be good, like this Mightyena. I thought they were all driven by some darkness to kill whatever was in their path. But…

"It's not like that, is it…?" I asked Mightyena, but it sounded like I was talking to me rather than him.

Mightyena's eyes slowly fluttered open. They automatically landed on me. Out of instinct, I quickly withdrew my hand and looked into his red eyes, the eyes that looked almost like the ones that killed my mom. His eyes were more… soulful? Although red, I could see other feelings in them. Like, right now. He's curious, not at all frightened by me, or the gun next to me. It was as if his gaze was asking me, "So, are you going to do something?" I went out on a limb, and did something.

I gingerly reached out my hand. He stared at it with wide eyes, not exactly sure what to make of it, but he didn't move an inch. A nervous gulp went down my throat when my hand was just an inch away from his forehead. Mightyena dipped his head and closed his eyes. Did that mean it was okay? There was finally contact, and I resumed petting him. He seemed to like it, his lips smiling, and his eyes squeezed tight in delight. I heard a thumping noise and saw it was his tail wagging against the ground. It was pretty loud, making me wonder how thick it was under all that black fur.

The Pokémon suddenly snapped at my hand and glared at me, though he didn't growl. I had accidentally touched the wound on his neck. Sticky blood covered my hand. I stared at it, abruptly afraid.

"Mightyena, aren't you in any pain?"

Mightyena appeared to understand me and shook his head.

"But, you're bleeding… pretty badly…" it came out in spurts whenever he moved.

He rolled his eyes.

"There's bandages at home I'll—" I went to get to my feet, but a shot of searing pain surged through my entire body. I cried out for the first time, startling Mightyena to his feet. He barked at me, alarmed as I writhed on my side, shaking form the agony. I'd almost forgotten I got shot. Why now would I suddenly feel like shit?

"H-Home…" I tried pointing Mightyena in the direction of the village, but he ignored me and went racing away in the direction behind me, "G-Gee… Thanks…"

I tried not to move, tried to breath in small gulps so I wouldn't hurt myself. It hurt to move…

The stars had come out now. I could see the moon, full and almost beaming down at me. Everything in the sky was so much clearer… so beautiful… The barrier must have gone over the town and blurred the sky… My mind wandered to Mom…

She used to walk outside with me, at night, and watch the stars with me until I fell asleep. Mom would always sing to me with a warm smile on her face… Even when I was older, she'd sing to me sometimes. I'd tell her to quit it because I was too old for that, but I was silently glad that she'd do it anyway. I loved her singing… It always made me feel so at peace, like I mattered… And now… I'd never hear her singing… or see her smile… ever… again…

Tears welled up in my eyes. I shut them tight, though the tears managed to spill over and run down my cheeks.

"Mom…" I gasped, "I'm s-so sorry… This is all my f-fault… If I hadn't p-pressed—that d-damn button—you wouldn't—you wouldn't… be…"

There was a high-pitched singing that cut me off. It didn't sound like Mom, but I still opened my eyes to see what the hell that was. A pink star-shaped Pokémon was dancing around me, chanting something I couldn't quite make out. Was that… a Clefairy?

She pranced around, summoning some glittering down from the moon onto me. I looked down to see it was healing my bullet wound. It tickled a little, but I was too mesmerized to react. The skin sewed back together, leaving a small white scar on my abdomen. Clefairy stopped singing, chirped at Mightyena, whom had been sitting a little ways away, and left. Mightyena barked his thanks and approached me. I stared after the departed Pokémon.

"You can…" I sniffed, trying to calm down, "You guys can heal each other?"

Mightyena nodded. I laughed," I didn't know that…"

He seemed to lift his shoulder in a shrug. I noticed his neck had repaired.

"You feeling better?"

Another shrug. Did he seriously not care? How could he not care?

Is he… is he like me? Does he have no one to care for him?

"Mightyena…" I stood up and started walking home. He followed me, as I expected, "Where's your pack?"

Mightyena shook his head.

"You don't have one?"

Again, he swung his head side to side.

"You're all alone?"

He whimpered.

"… Me too…"

Mightyena looked up at me with surprised eyes. He barked at me, as if arguing that I wasn't. I just gave a small smile and kept walking.

We arrived at my town. I gazed on at the carnage, feeling empty. Blood covered the grass. Bodies of deceased men, women, children, and Mightyena littered the entire town. The houses, the stores, even the army's base was either on fire or torn to the ground—a few remained standing unharmed. My house was one of the lucky few. It used to hold so many childhood memories… I could distinctly remember my first day of school. I didn't want to go, so I hung on to my mom's leg until she agreed to let me stay home for the first week. Maybe that's why I never made any friends; I wasn't there for all those little kid games with getting to know everyone's name.

Now, it was a decaying shack, devoid of any real value. It looked ready to collapse in on itself, weak. I bit my lip. Did I really want to go in there?

… Yes. I had to. For Mom.

I slowly paced to my front door. My body halted there, standing in the open doorway, just replaying the hell in my mind. Running in, seeing that Mightyena, running back out…

A thudding beat against my chest as I took little steps inside. Memories flashed in and out of sight when I glanced at picture frames hanging onto the wall by the edge of a nail. I tried to shake my head to clear it, but that only brought in more images of my past. And then I reached the kitchen.

Mom was on her side, slammed against the counter on the floor. More scarlet painted the whole tile floor. I pulled her out to lay her on the islet in the center. I spent a timeless five minutes just staring at her, waiting for her to say something, do something, anything… She remained lifeless.

I let my eyes drift from her tiny feet, to her torn long-skirt, to her mauled mid-section, up her neck to her face. Tears had already begun staining my shirt, but I stopped breathing altogether when I saw her face. Her sweet yet hardcore face looked so… peaceful… My mom looked so innocent like this. All her muscles relaxed, her face slack, and yet… she was smiling. Mom was smiling, a warm glow radiating from her. She almost looked like a child. I ran my fingers through her long indigo hair. It was soft, even when it was damaged. I reached for her hand and that's when I saw her arms were crossed against her chest, holding something firmly against her heart. They were too stiff for me to move without breaking them, but I managed to temporarily lift an arm so I could see what it was.

In her embrace was a picture frame, the glass cracked and little pieces missing, but the photo was untarnished. It was a young man decked out in battle gear with the army's logo on the sleeve. His hands held a pair of twin hand-guns, each silver and gleaming. I remember taking that photo. Mom told me to pose, so I raised one and struck out the other in what I thought must have looked cool. She laughed and took it, hanging it and never taking it down.

My cries grew in magnitude when I realized the last thing on Mom's mind before she died:

Me.


End file.
